From Hassan Taiye

Governor Umar Namadi is currently in Cairo,Arab Republic of Egypt, attending the Third High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Rice Self-Sufficiency, holding from October 7th to 9th, 2025, in Cairo and Sakha.

The meeting, themed “Towards Rice-Based Agri-Food Systems Transformation and Delivering on Rice Self-Sufficiency through Peer-to-Peer Learning: The Case of the Arab Republic of Egypt,” is jointly organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, AfricaRice, the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), and other key continental partners.

This high-level gathering brings together African Ministers of Agriculture, State Governors, and agricultural leaders to share practical experiences on achieving rice self-sufficiency and agricultural transformation.

The event will showcase Egypt’s remarkable progress in achieving rice self-sufficiency despite its limited water and land resources, offering valuable lessons adaptable to other African contexts.
Namadi is participating alongside top policymakers, agricultural experts, and private sector players from across Africa to discuss innovations, policy reforms, and strategic investments aimed at strengthening food security and transforming the agricultural sector on the continent.

Over the three-day programme, delegates will engage in high-level ministerial sessions, technical discussions, and a field visit to Egypt’s renowned Rice Research and Training Centre (RRTC) in Sakha.

During the visit, participants will interact directly with Egyptian scientists and farmers to learn about the country’s advancements in high-yield rice varieties, efficient irrigation systems, and modern post-harvest technologies.

Jigawa State’s participation in this important forum underscores the state’s commitment to agricultural transformation, food self-sufficiency, and consolidating Jigawa’s position as one of Nigeria’s leading hubs for rice production and agribusiness development.

The meeting is expected to conclude with a Ministerial Declaration setting a continental roadmap for achieving rice self-sufficiency through collaborative research, policy coordination, and targeted investment across the rice value chain.

Governor Namadi is accompanied by senior officials from the Jigawa State Ministry of Agriculture and related agencies.

By: Fabian Apechihin

Sociopolitical activist Aisha Yesufu has accused Nigerian political leaders of perpetuating what she described as a “political genocide” against Christians in Northern Nigeria.

Yesufu made the remark on Tuesday in response to American comedian and TV host Bill Maher, who recently alleged that Nigerian Christians are facing coordinated attacks.

Maher, speaking on his HBO show, said, “I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing Christians in Nigeria. They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009 and burned 18,000 churches. These are the Islamists, Boko Haram.”

Reacting via her X handle, Yesufu criticized what she called hypocrisy among Nigerian politicians who express concern over Christian persecution yet supported the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket during the 2023 elections.

“You are shouting that Northern Christians are being persecuted, but you championed a Muslim-Muslim ticket! Their Christianity was not Christian enough for you during the 2023 election,” she wrote.

She concluded by calling for greater attention to what she termed the “political genocide” against Northern Christians, urging consistency in both words and actions when addressing religious and political marginalization in Nigeria.

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Jagunmolu and Asiwaju of Igbomina, Alhaji Chief (Dr) Abdur-Raheem Oladimeji, has expressed optimism that the rising insecurity in parts of Kwara State would not overwhelm the state.

He identified the incidences of banditry and kidnapping for ransom as a passing phase, which was designed by unscrupulous elements to destabilise Kwara.

Oladimeji, who is the Founder, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin and Baba Oba of Offa Kingdom, said this in a statement issued in Ilorin on Monday in response to the recent security breaches in some communities in Kwara North and Kwara South.

He urged the residents of affected communities, and Kwarans at large, not to lose hope in the ability of the government and security agencies to tame the roughnecks and restore peace to their communities.

The Arogundade of Lagos described the terror campaign as an unconventional warfare that requires tactics and wisdom on the part of the military to tackle, pointing out that the attackers often cowardly withdraw to their shells after visiting attacks on their victims.

He cautioned those who are out to profit from the ruins of the affected communities by making mockery of the situation with reckless comments to stop forthwith.

Oladimeji also warned against scaremongering being created over the security challenge, urging vigilance and making useful information available to security agencies on any strange movements in their communities.

“Let us be wary of scaremongers, who have made it their daily habit to create imaginary fear as a result of which people are thrown into panic mode. That there is security breach has not been denied. However, we need to be careful and circumspect on the information unauthorized individuals circulate on the issue of insecurity,” the varsity founder noted.

Jagunmolu, who doubles as President-General, AROIF, appealed for calm, unity, security consciousness, while commending the government for its proactive intervention to rout out the unscrupulous element.

He praised the gallantry of military personnel and other security operatives, calling for words of encouragement among the people to boost the morale of the armed personnel.

Oladimeji sympathised with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the recent tragedy and called for additional deployment of security personnel to troubled areas for quick restoration of permanent peace.

“We need to pray for peace and justice to return to Igbomina land, Kwara and the entire country so that we can overcome our moment of trial and tribulation. Our people should take it as a matter of duty to report strange movements to the security agencies and constituted authorities,” Jagunmolu added.

END.